Trump proposes slashing basic and applied research by 9.1% in budget

The Trump administration’s new budget proposal for fiscal year 2021 has once again disappointed the US research community – and the chemical industry too. Federal support for basic and applied research would fall by $7.9 billion (£6.1 billion), or 9.1%, under the budget request, issued on 10 February.

In terms of specific science agencies, the president is proposing to slash the National Institutes of Health’s budget by 7%, the National Science Foundation’s by 6% and decrease support for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science by 17%, according to analysis by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The AAAS notes the White House wants to cut funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s science and technology account by 32%, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) science and technology programmes by 13% and Nasa’s science directorate by 11%.